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NewsGrand Theft Auto V Trailer ImpressionsWhere is GTA 5 set and who is the anti-hero? We weigh in on the trailer

More Grand Theft Auto V Video

Rockstar let its debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto V do the talking yesterday, and the brief 1:24 video speaks volumes. Well, maybe not volumes, but at least a few good chapters. Like everyone else, I pored over the footage in an effort to answer two of the biggest questions about the game: where is it set, and who do we play as? The answer to the first question appears fairly straightforward, but I might surprise you with my conclusion about the protagonist (and no, that's not Tommy Vercetti). Find out what and who I think I saw below.The Setting: Goin' Back to Cali

Welcome to smoggy Los Santos.

Los Santos, Rockstar's fictional version of Los Angeles first seen in 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, appears to play center stage in Grand Theft Auto V. And an impressive stage it is. Like Liberty City's amazingly detailed recreation of New York City in GTA 4, it appears the new Los Santos is a true digital version of real-world Los Angeles.

What I Want to Know: Is the game set across the fictional state of San Andreas as a whole, or is it focused squarely on the digital version of L.A.? San Andreas is an amalgam of Cali, Nevada, and Arizona, with three main cities: Los Santos, San Fierro (San Francisco), and Las Venturas (Las Vegas), with a handful of Arizona-like deserts and mountainous regions thrown in for good measure.

My Best Guess: The images of the hikers in the mountainous region indicate the game will move beyond the downtown skyscrapers and sprawling suburbs of Los Santos, but based on the footage of Vinewood, Muscle Sands, the 'burbs, and more, it appears Rockstar has narrowed its focus, and I don't think San Fierro and Las Venturas will be on the map. If Rockstar makes Los Santos as massive and detailed as Liberty City (which appears to be the case), there simply won't be any room in the game left for two more equally huge playgrounds.The Anti-Hero: Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss?

Who's that putting the F.U. in fumigate?

Claude (GTA 3), Carl "C.J." Johnson (GTA: San Andreas), Tommy Vercetti (GTA: Vice City), and Niko Bellic (GTA 4) have been the stars of the show in the franchise's previous installments, but who will players become in GTA 5? One of the hottest rumors surrounding the game claims the game's narrative will feature multiple playable characters. However, the trailer features a single narrator with a tale that suggests we've met him before, and various snippets of said character (a profile of a middle-aged, dark-haired man overlooking the city from above, robbing a bank, and then driving around in sports cars) indicate there will be a single playable character.What I Want to Know: Who is it?

Is Rockstar bringing back a character we've played as before in a previous GTA? Let's do a little process of elimination for this one.
Why it's not C.J.: Yup, I saw the tattooed character running from cops and a helicopter, and my first thought was of C.J. But it just doesn't fit with the single-narrator and focus on the older white guy in the trailer. You never know though, old C.J. could very well be one of your cohorts in crime...
Why it's not Tommy Vercetti: one of the opening lines of the narrator's dialogue is, "Why did I move here? I guess it was the weather." What, Vice City wasn't warm enough for you, Tommy? Also, that's not Ray Liotta's voice, and you've gotta think Rockstar would have made sure to ink the actor to reprise his role. Then there is the time window. GTA: Vice City is set in the 80s, and I picture a 30-years-older Vercetti looking more gray and wrinkled.

Why it's not Nico Bellic: You played GTA IV, right?

My Best Guess: Grand Theft Auto V's protagonist is, in fact, Claude, the bank robbing anti-hero originally portrayed in GTA III. Yup, the man without a voice finally speaks.
The evidence: The "move for the weather" comment fits, the scenes of the narrator "going back to his old ways" and robbing the bank fit, and the overall look of the character jives with Claude being 10 years older since 2001's GTA 3. See for yourself:

3-The trailer's narrator.

GTA 3's Claude in 10th anniversary action-figure and in video game form.

The Claude action-figure and the profile of the GTA 5 narrator.

In addition, Claude appeared in a couple brief missions in GTA: San Andreas, establishing him as a character with ties to the region and Carl Johnson. There's also this: Rockstar is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of GTA III this year, and in honor of the landmark game, they created a Claude action figure. Funny they would go so far for a character that was originally nameless and speechless. Perhaps the studio already had Claude on their minds...

So based solely on this trailer, I believe Grand Theft Auto V will be set in Los Santos alone and feature Claude from GTA 3 fame as the returning protagonist (with C.J. as an NPC buddy). But enough speculation. Let's see what GameSpy's other editors thought about the video:

Bennett Ring, Editor-in-Chief: I have to admit that the GTA 5 reveal didn't get me anywhere near as excited as trailers for earlier GTA games. I was really expecting an interesting new environment, branching out from the same old U.S. cities that we've already explored countless times, so to see that it's heading back to LA was puzzling. I'm a sucker for graphics so the hyper-realistic visuals caught my eye, but it's also obvious to see that it's not a massive step up from GTA IV, undoubtedly limited by what Rockstar can extract from today's aging consoles. After watching the trailer several times, one thing really strikes home -- there don't appear to be any new gameplay mechanics at work here. Here's hoping that Rockstar is keeping a few aces up its sleeve; knowing them they've probably got the whole deck up there.

Mike Nelson, Editor: When the logo image went out last week everyone was seeing a dollar bill where I was seeing fishnet stockings -- I was hoping that the series would have gone the direction of having a female protagonist. If the male voiceover is anything to go on, doesn't look like it. As for the visuals, it isn't looking that much different than anything I saw in GTA IV. I know it's too early to speculate –- this is afterall, a short tease of the game –- but with Red Dead Redemption and the upcoming Saints Row 3, I'm much more interested to see what the series does different than only allowing me to run around a large cityscape all over again. I think I'm going to go re-install GTA IV right now…

You've heard my ramblings and the impressions from GameSpy's editors, now it's your turn. Sound off in the comments section below and tell us what you think you saw in the debut Grand Theft Auto V trailer.

UPDATE: Rockstar issued a press release today (Thursday) confirming what we believed: GTA 5 will be set in the city of Los Santos "and surrounding hills, countryside and beaches." Looks like we'll have to revisit San Fierro and Las Venturas another day.

"A bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer, Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present day Southern California," Rockstar states.
No word yet on if the protagonist is, in fact, our old friend Claude.